Chapter 40

The tiger-fighting and river-crossing style of combat made the other experts who had taken the opportunity to climb up the cliff feel a chill. Although it seemed crazy, a closer analysis revealed that the madness was underpinned by meticulous planning.

With his knowledge of gunplay, he first repelled the gunmen; then, he left the slender swordsman to be strangled to death with his superior strength. Moreover, the biggest obstacle to breaking through was the few dark force-level experts led by Hong Qingsong. Killing one of them increased their chances of survival!

His brother was clearly the type who grew braver and more powerful the more he fought, especially in critical moments. Dugu Fu understood this clearly, put aside his worries, and turned to San Guang Bu Zudao, saying, "Isn't this taking care of you? I'll ask you, do you want to learn the Gong Family's Sixty-Four Hands?"

San Guang Bu Zudao was excited and thrilled. This was an ultimate skill on par with the Half-Step Collapse Flag. He nodded vigorously, "Yes! Yes! Of course I want to! I really want to! Brother!"

"Assign the task then." Dugu Fu waved to Gong Er and put his arm around San Guang Bu Zudao's shoulder, "But to complete this task, there are two things you must pay attention to... First, time! You've seen it; if that fat guy succeeds, you won't get a chance. It's hard to say how long we can hold out here. I suggest you die as quickly as possible after accepting the task."

"Second, it's best not to mention this to anyone else. An ordinary man is not guilty, but a man with a treasure is. You understand. By the way, you should have a few gasoline bombs, right? You won't need them anymore, give them to me."

"Hehe, hehe, hehe..." As he spoke, San Guang Bu Zudao had already received the task. He looked at the task content in the system backend, smiled foolishly, and was even more convinced of his choice, "Don't worry, Brother, I understand. I'll head over right away!"

He carefully put the letter in his system backpack, took out three gasoline bombs and gave them to Dugu Fu, then whistled and dove headfirst into the fire below with a standard diving action. After a series of falls and burns, he soon lay still.

What a good kill!

After the arrangements were made, Li Shier also retreated, looking disheveled.

The strongest force on the opposite side was not the players or the dark force experts, but the gasoline bombs and the Heavenly Body. Unless they were instantly killed, it was difficult to take down players who could quickly regenerate health with continuous damage like fire. Even if burned, as long as the pain sensitivity was reduced, players wouldn't spasm, convulse, or lose their fighting ability.

But NPCs couldn't do that. When Li Shier's charge slowed, the players who had crawled out of the fire, covered in soot, launched their attack, "Bang! Bang! Bang!" They threw gasoline bombs at him, forcing him to dodge awkwardly. Fortunately, his three-legged running style was versatile, barely avoiding the attacks.

However, "Whoosh... Whoosh..." the places he had fought and run through were soon filled with exploding gasoline bombs, like a mage casting a fire beacon. The flames burned fiercely, illuminating the night sky.

"Yes, yes, just like that, burn them! Burn them, hahaha..." From the antique car, a mad laugh echoed, the car's vibrations becoming faster and more intense.

==========

Under the carpet bombing of gasoline bombs, a few hours later, the carefully prepared hiding place of Dugu Fu turned into a pile of charcoal. Various supplies, food, water, clothes, and training items... because they were too cumbersome to carry, had to be abandoned and turned to ashes in the fire.

Players, through the system map, had a different understanding of the situation. At this stage of the battle, they were ecstatic! They were finally about to win! The enemies were so tenacious, just a few people, but they had held them off for so long with the terrain, traps, and willpower!

However, the more setbacks, the sweeter the victory, right? The players grinned ferociously, their excitement growing as they slowly approached the last hiding place of the four people, but... when they got there, no one was there?!

No one? How could that be?! They had clearly seen those guys retreating all the way... The players were furious, confused, and bewildered. After a while, someone finally noticed that there was a cave here, a mountain cave. It was just covered with wood, rocks, and weeds, making it hard to spot with the naked eye or the system map.

In a fit of rage, they cleared away the debris, and with a "Boom!" the gasoline bombs exploded without warning, igniting the flammable materials blocking the entrance, and a huge fire erupted.

Caught off guard, the players were covered in soot and ash. After they finally moved the burning obstacles and rushed into the cave...

"Clippity-clop, clippity-clop, clippity-clop..." The sound of hooves rang out. Four horses, carrying four people, burst out of a cave at the bottom of the mountain like a whirlwind and galloped away.

"Damn it!" Watching the four people ride off, the players were dumbfounded. When they finally reacted, they were even more furious and agitated!

The cave at the bottom that connected to the main road had been explored by some players. The system map showed only an entrance and no exit, and with the urgency of the chase, they didn't investigate further. They never expected that the cave actually had two exits, with one end blocked by the cunning NPCs, making it invisible on the system map.

Not only that, but the other side had clearly hidden four horses and some supplies inside... They led the players to the upper entrance, using the fire trap to block their path, while they quickly crossed the cave to the bottom, mounted the horses, and left with the supplies.

"Chase them! Chase them! What are you all standing there for?" Hong Qingsong, who was in the antique car, was also dumbfounded. After a moment, he shouted through real-world communication.

The players finally snapped out of it and hurriedly returned to the bottom to get their mounts.

"Ha ha ha ha... Second Brother, you really have it!" Watching the clumsy movements of the players and hearing their furious shouts, Li Shier laughed heartily, "They say a cunning rabbit has three dens, but you have thirty!"

Dugu Fu smiled slightly, "Humans are better than rabbits, aren't they? Unfortunately, no matter how many dens, this is the last one. If not for the many traps being burned by the fire, we could have delayed them even longer. The rest of the journey will depend on Brother."

"If all this effort still can't break through, I, as the elder brother, would be ashamed to the point of death," Li Shier said, raising his eyebrows.

In fact, the situation was far from as relaxed as he made it sound.

By now, the eastern sky was beginning to lighten, and they had unknowingly spent the entire night...

As time passed, more players joined, some drawn by the news, others from elite squads. Under Hong Qingsong's strong suppression, they formed a team. So far, the number of enemies had reached over a hundred!